Singapore CIOs worry about loss of control with BYOD

Jack Loo |
Sept. 20, 2012

A successful BYOD programme is more than just having a mobile device management platform.

Losing control of information through use of consumer devices and cloud services is one of the main concerns faced by CIOs in Singapore, according to a PwC executive from the IT Risk Consulting Advisory group.

These challenges surface just as CIOs react to board members bringing their own tablets to the organisation, employees using their own smartphones, and CFOs pushing cloud computing to reduce capital expenditures and expenses, said Leonard Levy who is an associate director.

PwC held an informal meeting session with its clients, which include those from finance and telecommunication sectors, late last month.

"Many of the questions asked by the CIOs revolved around cloud computing and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). This mirrors the broader conversations we are having with clients," said Levy.

With more mobile devices being brought into the office environment, companies are increasingly embracing formal BYOD strategies. While the cornerstone of many programmes are mobile device management (MDM) platforms, a successful BYOD strategy is more than just employee owned smartphones with add-on software, said Levy.

"Not only do CIOs need to take into account how to handle a variety of employee owned devices like tablets and laptops, they need to look at how to provide access to information and resources required for employees to get their job done," he added.

CIOs also need to take into account that employees may leverage consumer-type cloud services without have appropriate security controls.

To successfully facilitate use of employee-owned mobile devices, organisations need to take into account factors including: